Happy holidays, everyone. It’s time to play Kennedy Center Honors trivia, in which I dispense gifts of obscure or rarely discussed knowledge about the artists being celebrated this year for lifetime achievement in their fields. Those honored at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.: filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, blues/rock singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt, Cuban-American jazz legend Arturo Sandoval, the Grateful Dead (no need for a description here) and the storied Apollo Theater in Harlem. The ceremony, held on Dec. 7, will be televised at 8:30 p.m. Sunday on CBS, and will begin streaming on Paramount+ the next day.
Let’s get started.
• Coppola’s first film, released in 1963, was an 80-minute horror flick titled “Dementia 13.” You might have to wait for it to turn up on something like MeTV’s “Svengoolie” in order to see it.
• Speaking of movies, Raitt did a cameo musical performance in the John Travolta film “Urban Cowboy” in 1980. And Sandoval provided the trumpet score for a 1985 animated horror movie called “Vampiros en La Habana! (‘Vampires in Havana’).”
• The Grateful Dead originally called themselves the Warlocks, which also happened to be the same early name used by the Velvet Underground.
• The 90-year history of the Apollo Theater has too many highlights to cover, but notably, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and Lena Horne all made their musical debuts there – Fitzgerald on the venue’s Amateur Night.
Suffice to say, this year’s Kennedy Center honorees are more than worthy.
Country music
One could debate who should wear the crown of “Queen of Country Music,” but most of the time the answer would surely be Loretta Lynn, the coal miner’s daughter from Butcher Hollow, Ky. whose career stretched from the ‘50s well into the 2000s.
Honoring Lynn, who ed away in 2022 at age 90, will be San Diego singer/songwriter fixture Sara Petite, starring in “A Loretta Lynn Christmas” show at the Casbah in Middletown on Sunday night.
A couple of years ago, prior to headlining a “Loretta Lynn Revue” at the Belly Up, Petite told me in an interview for the U-T that “When I was a little girl, my mom would get Loretta Lynn albums and we would sing to them. I actually have her (Lynn’s) accent when I sing.”
For more, visit sarapetite.com.
Punk rock
Social Distortion fans, you’ve got no excuses: Your faves from Fullerton are performing five times in the next week and a half at the Observatory in North Park. Shows are Friday, Saturday and Sunday night, then the following weekend on Dec. 28 and Dec. 29.
Take it from another fan — me — who’s seen Social D. at venues as large as what is now known as Pechanga Arena and as small as SOMA: The experience is so much more electric in intimate confines, as it will be at The Observatory.
These guys love touring and performing. Making records not so much. Their last studio album, “Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes,” was released in 2011. Visit socialdistortion.com.
Multi-disciplinary
Just when you think you’ve seen it all when it comes to reimaginations of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” comes something figuratively out of this world from the adventurous local producer Project BLANK: “A Hijacked Hootenanny Hullabaloo.”
Part of Project BLANK’s Salty Series, this multidisciplinary mashup performed on Friday at Bread & Salt Gallery concerns itself with Bob Cratchit and a crashed spaceship. Oh, and an alien. The performers include mika Casteñada, Maria Antonia Eguiarte, beck haberstroh and Victor Castaneda H.
Tickets are $15 or, in the spirit of the season, pay what you can, at projectblanksd.org.
The movies
Among the films opening on Christmas Day, the most curious has to be director James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown,” a bio film about Bob Dylan. Based on the book “Dylan Goes Electric!” by musician/journalist Elijah Wald, this movie starring Timothee Chalamet (the “Dune” flicks, “Willy Wonka”) in the title role is one of those that could be really good … or really bad.
The sobering truth is a lot of biopics about performers who are still very much alive and performing fail to resonate with audiences. Compounding that dubious track record is the prospect of anyone believably portraying Bob Dylan in a way that doesn’t sound like a parody.
For what it’s worth, Dylan himself reportedly approved the script for “A Complete Unknown.” I’ll probably go see it. Then complain about it later.
U-T arts stories you may have missed
- Appreciation: Percussion master Zakir Hussain, dead at 73, soared in any musical setting
- Javier Batiz, 80, Mexican rock pioneer and mentor to Carlos Santana, dies
- The 10 best CD boxed sets to buy this holiday season
- Rock of ages: 2024 was a banner year for music by artists in their 20s, 80s and beyond
- What are the best albums of 2024? Here are our picks.
- What were the most memorable San Diego concerts of 2024? Here are 8 of our favorites
- Art of the City: ‘Little pieces coming together’ in a creative constellation
- Review: Jefferson Mays weaves spellbinding tale in Old Globe’s solo ‘Christmas Carol’
UCTV
University of California Television invites you to enjoy this special selection of programs from throughout the University of California. Descriptions courtesy of and text written by UCTV staff:
“Intersections Presents Kittle & Co.”
Acclaimed violinist Jeremy Kittel, formerly of the Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet, leads Kittel & Co., a genre-defying ensemble blending classical, acoustic roots, Celtic, bluegrass, folk and jazz influences. ed by mandolin virtuoso Josh Pinkham and guitarist Quinn Bachand, the group creates a unique and captivating sound that has wowed audiences at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, A Prairie Home Companion, and beyond. With who have collaborated with legends like Béla Fleck, Sarah Jarosz, Chris Thile and Yo-Yo Ma, Kittel & Co. seamlessly merges technical brilliance with heartfelt expression. Their music transcends boundaries, offering an unforgettable listening experience for fans of any genre.
“How I Learned What I Learned: Studying ‘Troubled’ Interactions”
What happens when communication breaks down? Urban ethnographer and UC Santa Barbara professor Waverly Duck explores subtle, often unnoticed moments when misunderstandings create conflict and shape how we see ourselves and others. Using video and audio recordings, Duck reveals how people assign motives to each other during these breakdowns, leading to tension and miscommunication. Drawing on research into neighborhood poverty, food inequality, and autism assessments, Duck uncovers the hidden social rules that govern our interactions. By studying these moments of trouble, he offers fresh insights into how we create meaning, build self-identity and navigate everyday relationships.
“Telomere Biology and Human Aging”
Elizabeth Blackburn, Ph.D., explores the fascinating connection between telomeres—the protective caps on our chromosomes — cellular aging, and metabolic health. She highlights how telomere regulation varies between insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant individuals and examines the impact of factors like glucose levels, stress hormones, and drugs on telomere maintenance. Blackburn also shares surprising findings from studies on hibernating lemurs, where telomeres remain stable during metabolic slowdowns but decline upon reactivation. These insights reveal how telomere maintenance may serve as an early warning sign for metabolic dysfunction and offer new strategies for promoting long-term health and resilience.
And finally, top weekend events
The best things to do this weekend in San Diego: Dec. 20-22
